A national passion for hot dogs has lead to numerous advances in their preparation. For example, a number of cookers have been devised that rotate hot dogs with respect to a heat source in order that they are cooked uniformly and at the same time. Some such rotating cookers include, for instance, a ferris wheel type structure or a horizontal series of heated rollers unto which hot dogs are placed. Another cooker uses rods that are made to move along a heated surface to roll hot dogs as they cook.
To improve the visual aesthetics of the meat, hot dogs are routinely pressed in a panini grill prior to cooking in the rotary device. The panini grill includes raised, heated surfaces that mark hot dogs to simulate grill marks when the lid of the panini grill is lowered and pressed against the hot dogs. The hot dogs are then removed from the panini grill and placed into the hot dog cooker, which rolls and heats the hot dogs.
Many hot dog enthusiasts find hot dogs with grill marks to be more aesthetically pleasing than those without, translating into increased sales and consumer satisfaction. Conventional processes for placing grill marks on rotary cooked hot dogs, however, are not without problems. For instance, the pressing action required by the panini grill structure often results in the skin of the hot dog rupturing when the lid of the panini grill is lowered. Such rupturing can cause the juices of the hot dog to escape. This loss of moisture translates into a less appetizing hot dog, as well as steam that can carbonize and scorch cooking equipment. Such steam further poses an inconvenience and potential hazard to vendors.
Because the panini grill is not configured to actually cook hot dogs, an additional rotary cooking machine is required. This use of both grill types requires the vendor to transfer the hot dogs between the hot grills. This step involves additional inconvenience to the vendor and potential for damage to the hot dog and equipment. Moreover, the requirement for both machines poses space concerns in a typical vendor locale. For instance, a vendor's countertop may not have adequate room for two such machines. Such space concerns are further compounded by the presence of a hood required by conventional rotary cookers for heat considerations. That is, cookers generating a surface heat temperature of greater than 230° Fahrenheit must have a hood for heat containment. Conventional cookers that push hot dogs along a heated surface are also prone to problems that arise when part of a hot dog becomes trapped between a moving rod and the heated surface. Such an occurrence too often results in undesired lifting of the rods and results in the meat rolling off onto the floor or to the lower portion of the cooking surface.
A need therefore exists for an improved hot dog cooker.